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(Princeton  C^eofogicaf  ^eminarj 

BX  6333  .S6  B74  1892       ^ 
Spurgeon,  C.  H.  1834-1892 
Brilliants 


BRILLIANTS 


SELECTED  FROM 
THE    WORKS     OF 


Rev.  Chas.  H.  Spurgeon. 

RY  ALICE  L.  WILLL\MS 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 
RAVEN    S.    CROFT. 


BOSTON: 
SAMUEL    E.    CASSINO. 

Exchange  Building. 


Copyright,   1892, 
Samuel  E.  Cassino. 


Berwick  &  Smith,   Boston,  U.S.A. 


SPURGEON. 

*  *  *  * 

The  truest  lengthening  of  life  is  to  live  while 
we  live,  wasting  no  time,  but  using  every  hour 
for  the  highest  ends. 


So  sweet  are  the  comforts  of  the  Lord,  that 
not  only  the  saints  themselves  may  sing  of 
them,  but  even  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
may  take  up  the  song.  It  takes  something  to 
make  a  mountain  sing ;  and  yet  the  prophet 
summons  quite  a  choir  of  them.  Lebanon, 
and  Sirion,  and  the  high  hills  of  Bashan  and 
Moab,  he  would  set  them  all  singing  because 
of  Jehovah's  grace  to  His  own  Zion.  May  we 
not  also  make  mountains  of  difficulty,  and 
trial,  and  mystery,  and  labor  become  occa- 
sions for  praise  unto  our  God  ?  "  Break  forth 
into  singing,  O  mountains  !  " 


SPURGEON. 

A  little  faith  is  a  nest  ^gg ;  more  faith  will 
come  to  it.  But  then  it  must  not  be  seeming 
faith,  but  real  and  true.  What  a  necessity- 
is  laid  upon  us  to  make  sure  work  in  religion, 
and  not  to  profess  much,  and  possess  nothing  ! 
for  one  of  these  days  the  very  profession  will 
be  taken  from  us,  if  that  be  all  we  have.  .  .  . 
Abundance  of  grace  is  a  thing  to  be  coveted. 
It  would  be  well  to  know  much,  but  better 
to  love  much.  It  would  be  delightful  to 
have  abundance  of  skill  to  serve  God,  but 
better  still  to  have  abundance  of  faith  to  trust 
in  the  Lord  for  skill  and  everything. 


Worry  kills,  but  confidence  in  God  is  like 
healing  medicine. 


The  Lord  would  have  His  people  happy 
because  of  His  unfailing  love.  He  would  not 
have  us  sad  and  doubtful ;  He  claims  from  us 
the  worship  of  believing  hearts.  He  cannot 
fail  us ;  why  should  we  sigh  or  sulk  as  if  He 
would  do  so? 

2 


SPURGEON. 

Calmly  resolute  in  duty,  brave  in  conflict, 
patient  in  suffering,  let  us  go  our  way,  keep- 
ing to  our  road,  and  neither  swerving  from  it 

nor  loitering  in  it. 

*     *     * 

In  this  day's  labors  or  trials  say,  "The 
Lord  God  will  help  me."'  Go  forth  boldly. 
Set  your  face  like  a  flint,  and  resolve  that  no 
faintness  or  shamefacedness  shall  come  near 
you.  If  God  helps,  who  can  hinder?  If  you 
are  sure  of  omnipotent  aid,  what  can  be  too 
heavy  for  you?  Begin  the  day  joyously,  and 
let  no  shade  of  doubt  come  between  thee  and 
the  eternal  sunshine. 


Put  God's  law  into  the  heart,  and  the  whole 
man  is  right.  This  is  where  the  law  should 
be  ;  for  then  it  lies,  like  the  tables  of  stone  in 
the  ark,  in  the  place  appointed  for  it.  In  the 
head  it  puzzles,  on  the  back  it  burdens,  in  the 
heart  it  upholds.  .  .  .  We  are  moving  along 
the  great  high  road  of  God's  providence  and 
grace  when  we  keep  to  the  way  of  His  law. 
3 


SPURGEON. 

The  Word  of  God  does  not  mislead  ;  its  plain 
directions  to  walk  humbly,  justly,  lovingly, 
and  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  are  as  much  words 
of  wisdom  to  make  our  way  prosperous  as 
rules  of  holiness  to  keep  our  garments  clean. 
He  walks  surely  who  walks  righteously. 


A  vile  imagination,  once  indulged,  gets  the 

key  of  our  minds,  and  can  get  in  again  very 

easily,  whether  we  will  or   no,  and  can   so 

return  as  to  bring  seven  other  spirits  with  it 

more  wicked  than  itself;  and  what  may  follow 

no  one  knows. 

*     *     * 

O  brethren,  it  is  sickening  work  to  think  of 
your  cushioned  seats,  your  chants,  your 
anthems,  your  choirs,  your  organs,  your 
gowns,  and  your  bands,  and  I  know  not  what 
besides,  all  made  to  be  instruments  of  reli- 
gious luxury,  if  not  of  pious  dissipation,  while 
ye  need  far  more  to  be  stirred  up  and  incited 
to  holy  ardor  for  the  propagation  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

4 


SPURGEON. 

Home  is  the  grandest  of  all  institutions, 

*  *     * 

Learn  to  say  No  !  and  it  will  be  of  more 
use  to  you  than  to  be  able  to  read  Latin. 

*  *     * 

Our  troubles  will  bring  us  blessings.  They 
are  the  dark  chariots  of  bright  grace.  "If 
the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  them- 
selves upon  the  earth."'  (Eccl.  xi.  3.) 
These  clouds  will  empty  themselves  before 
long,  and  every  tender  herb  will  be  the  gladder 
for  the  shower.  Our  God  may  drench  us  wuth 
grief,  but  He  will  not  drown  us  with  wrath ; 
nay,  He  will  refresh  us  with  mercy.  Our 
Lord's  love-letters  often  come  to  us  in  black- 
edged  envelopes.  His  wagons  rumble,  but 
they  are  loaded  with  benefits.  His  rod  blos- 
soms with  sweet  flowers  and  nourishing  fruits. 
Let  us  not  worry  about  the  clouds,  but  sing 
because  May  flowers  are  brought  to  us 
through  April  clouds  and  showers. 

*  *     * 

The  higher  a  man  is  in  grace,  the  lower  he 
will  be  in  his  own  esteem. 


SPURGEON. 

O    Lord,  the    clouds   are  the  dust  of  Thy 

feet  !     How  near  Thou  art  in  the  cloudy  and 

dark  day !     Love  beholds  Thee,  and  is  glad. 

Faith  sees  the  clouds    emptying  themselves 

and  making  the  little   hills   rejoice  on  every 

side. 

*     *     * 

We  have  noticed  men  of  considerable 
parts  and  opportunities  who  have  never  suc- 
ceeded in  doing  real  good  in  the  conversion 
of  souls  :  and  after  close  observation  we  have 
concluded  that  they  lacked  certain  graces 
which  are  absolutely  essential  to  fruit-bear- 
ing. For  real  usefulness,  graces  are  better 
than  gifts.  As  the  man  is,  so  is  his  work. 
If  we  would  do  better  we  must  be  better. 


When  home  is  ruled  according  to  God's 
Word,  angels  might  be  asked  to  stay  a  night 
with  us,  and  they  would  not  find  themselves 
out  of  their  element. 


*     *     * 


^ 


Idleness  is  tli£  key  of  1  >t  - 1 


SPURGEON. 

Better  discourage  a  man's  climbing  than 
help  him  to  break  his  neck.  Pigs  will  never 
play  well  on  the  flute,  teach  them  as  long  as 

you  like. 

*  *     * 

Incredulity  is  not  wisdom. 

*  *     * 

When  you  see  a  mad  dog.  don't  argue  with 
him,  unless  you  are  sure  of  your  logic. 

*  *     * 

Iniquity  may  be  defined  as  deliberate  wrong- 
doing. 

*     *     * 

The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  and 
the  foundation  of  all  true  religion.  Without 
a  solemn  awe  and  reverence  of  God,  there  is 
no  foothold  for  the  more  brilliant  virtues.  He 
whose  soul  does  not  worship  will  never  live 
in  holiness. 

Tongues  are  more  terrible  instruments  than 
can  be  made  with  hammers  and  anvils,  and 
the  evil  which  they  inflict  cuts  deeper  and 
spreads  wider. 


SPURGEON. 

He  is  happy  who  feels  a  jealous  fear  of 
doing  wrong.  Holy  fear  looks  not  only  be- 
fore it  leaps,  but  even  before  it  moves.  It  is 
afraid  of  neglecting  duty,  afraid  of  commit- 
ting sin.  It  fears  ill  company,  loose  talk,  and 
questionable  policy.  This  does  not  make  a 
man  wretched,  but  it  brings  him  happiness. 
The  watchful  sentinel  is  happier  than  the 
soldier  who  sleeps  at  his  post.  He  who  fore- 
seeth  evil  and  escapes  it  is  happier  than  he 
who  walks  carelessly  on,  and  is  destroyed. 


At  this  hour  a  mountain  of  difficulty,  dis- 
tress, or  necessity  may  be  in  our  way,  and 
natural  reason  sees  no  path  over  it,  or  through 
it,  or  round  it.  Let  faith  come  in,  and 
straightway  the  mountain  disappears  and  be- 
comes a  plain.  But  faith  must  first  hear  the 
word  of  the  Lord —  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts.*''  This  grand  truth  is  a  prime  neces- 
sity for  meeting  the  insurmountable  trials  of 
life. 


SPURGEON. 

Open  thy  mouth  wide,  and  I  will  fill  it. 
(Ps.  Ixxxi.  10.) 

See  how  the  little  birds  in  their  nests  seem 
to  be  all  mouth  when  the  mother  comes  to 
feed  them.  Let  it  be  the  same  with  us.  Let 
us  take  in  grace  at  every  door.  Let  us  drink 
it  in  as  a  sponge  sucks  up  the  water  in  which 
it  lies.     God  is  ready  to  fill  us  if  we  are  only 

ready  to  be  filled. 

*  *     * 

The  way  of  life  is  like  travelling  among  the 
Alps.  Along  mountain  paths  one  is  con- 
stantly exposed  to  the  slipping  of  the  foot. 
Where  the  way  is  high  the  head  is  apt  to 
swim,  and  then  the  feet  soon  slide  ;  there  are 
spots  which  are  smooth  as  glass,  and  others 
that  are  rough  with  loose  stones,  and  in 
either  of  these  a  fall  is  hard  to  avoid.  He 
who  throughout  life  is  enabled  to  keep  him- 
self upright  and  to  walk  without  stumbling 
has  the  best  reasons  for  gratitude. 

*  *     * 

Some  temptations  come  to  the  industrious, 
but  all  temptations  come  to  the  idle. 
9 


SPURGEON-. 

What  a  promise   is   this   for   me!      "His 

heavens    shall     drop    down    dew."      (Deut. 

xxxiii.  28.)       I   shall  be  visited  with  grace. 

I  shall  not  be  left  to  my  natural  drought,  or  to 

the  world's  burning  heat,  or  to  the  sirocco  of 

Satanic  temptation.     Oh  that  I  may  at  this 

very  hour  feel    the  gentle,  silent,  saturating 

dew  of  the  Lord  !     Why  should    I   not  ?     He 

who  has  made  me  to  live  as  the  grass  lives  in 

the  meadow,  will  treat  me  as   He   treats   the 

grass  :  He  will  refresh  me  from  above.  Grass 

cannot  call  for  dew  as  I  do.     Surely,  the  Lord 

who  visits]the  unpraying  plant  will  answer  His 

pleading  child. 

*     *     * 

There  is  a  sweet  joy  that  comes  to  us 
through  sorrow. 

A  countryman  is  as  warm  in  fustian  as  a 
king  in  velvet ;  and  a  truth  is  as  comfortable 
in  homely  language  as  in  fine  speech.  As  to 
the  way  of  dishing  up  the  meat,  hungry  men 
leave  that  to  the  cook ;  only  let  the  meat  be 
sweet  and  substantial. 


Hitjpj 


SPrRGEOiV. 
Pardon  ever  follows  sincere  repentance. 


*     *     * 


Prayers  are  heard  in  heaven  very  much  in 
proportion  to  our  faith.  Little  faith  gets  very 
great  mercies,  but  great  faith  still  greater. 


*     *     * 


Sympathy  is  especially  a  Christian  duty. 

*  *     * 

Great  faith  must  have  great  trials. 

Trials  teach  us  what  we  are. 

*  *     * 

A  help  that  is  not  present  when  we  need  it 
is  of  small  value.  The  anchor  which  is  left 
at  home  is  of  no  use  to  the  seaman  in  the 
hour  of  storm ;  the  money  which  he  used  to 
have  is  of  no  worth  to  the  debtor  when  a  writ 
is  out  against  him.  Very  few  earthly  helps 
could  be  called  "very  present:"  they  are 
usually  far  in  the  seeking,  far  in  the  using, 
and  farther  still  when  once  used.  But  as  for 
the  Lord  our  God,   He  is  present  when,  -  we- 


SPURGEON. 

seek  Him,  present  when  we  need  Him,  and 
present  when  we  have  already  enjoyed  His 
aid.  .  .  .  He  is  our  refuge,  let  us  hide  in 
Him  ;  He  is  our  strength,  let  us  array  our- 
selves with  Him  ;  He  is  our  help,  let  us  lean 
upon  Him  ;  He  is  our  very  present  help,  let 
us  repose  in  Him  now. 

*  *     * 

This  promise  should  cheer  you  —  "  He  shall 
strengthen  thine  heart.'"  This  goes  at  once  to 
the  place  where  you  need  help.  If  the  heart 
be  sound,  all  the  rest  of  the  system  will  work 
well.  The  heart  wants  calming  and  cheering : 
and  both  of  these  will  come  if  it  be  strength- 
ened. A  forceful  heart  rests  and  rejoices,  and 
throbs  force  into  the  whole  man. 

*  *     * 

Earnestness  is  good ;  it  means  business. 
But  fanaticism  overdoes,  and  is  consequently 
reactionary. 

The  grace  of  the  spirit  comes  only  from 
heaven,  and  lights  up  the  whole  bodily  pres- 
ence. 

12 


SPURGEON. 

Fear  of  God  is  a  quiet  grace  which  leads  a 
man  along  a  choice  road,  of  which  it  is  written, 
"No  lion  shall  be  there,  neither  shall  any 
ravenous  beast  go  up  thereon."  Fear  of  the 
very  appearance  of  evil  is  a  purifying  principle, 
which  enables  a  man,  through  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  keep  his  garments  unspot- 
ted from  the  world. 


From  mad  dogs  and  grumbling  professors 
may  we  all  be  delivered  ;  and  may  we  never 
take  the  complaint  from  either  of  them  ! 


Habits,  soft  and  pliant  at  first,  are  like  some 
coral  stones,  which  are  easily  cut  when  first 
quarried,  but  soon  become  hard  as  adamant. 


We  are  in  hot  haste  to  set  the  world  right 
and  to  order  all  affairs  :  the  Lord  hath  the 
leisure  of  conscious  power  and  unerring  wis- 
dom, and  it  will  be  well  for  us  to  learn  to 
wait. 

13 


SPURGEON. 


The  door-step  to  the  temple  of  wisdom  is  a 
knowledge  of  our  own  ignorance. 


The  Lord's  people  are  to  enjoy  security  in 
places  of  the  greatest  exposure  ;  wildernesses 
and  woods  are  to  be  as  pastures  and  folds  to 
the  flock  of  Christ.  If  the  Lord  does  not 
change  the  place  for  the  better,  He  will  make 
us  the  better  in  the  place.  The  wilderness  is 
not  a  place  to  dwell  in,  but  the  Lord  can  make 
it  so ;  in  the  woods  one  feels  bound  to  watch 
rather  than  to  sleep,  and  yet  the  Lord  giveth 
His  beloved  sleep  even  there.  Nothing  with- 
out or  within  should  cause  any  fear  to  the 
child  of  God.  By  faith  the  wilderness  can 
become  the  suburbs  of  heaven,  and  the 
woods  the  vestibule  of  glory. 
*     *     * 

Tears  clear  the  eyes  for  the  sight  of  God  in 
His  grace :  and  make  the  vision  of  His  favor 
more  precious.  A  night  of  sorrow  supplies 
those  shades  of  the  picture  by  which  the  high 
lights  are  brought  out  with  distinctness. 
14 


SPURGEON. 

In  the  East,  a  garden  without  water  soon 
ceases  to  be  a  garden  at  all ;  nothing  can  come 
to  perfection,  grow,  or  even  live.  When  irri- 
gation is  kept  up,  the  result  is  charming.  Oh, 
to  have  one's  soul  watered  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
uniformly  —  every  part  of  the  garden  having 
its  own  stream:  plentifully  —  a  sufficient  re- 
freshment coming  to  every  tree  and  herb, 
however  thirsty  by  nature  it  may  be  ;  contin- 
ually—  each  hour  bringing  not  only  its  heat, 
but  its  refreshment;  wisely  —  each  plant  re- 
ceiving just  what  it  needs.  In  a  garden  you 
can  see  by  the  verdure  where  the  water  flows, 
and  you  can  soon  perceive  when  the  Spirit  of 
God  comes. 


Our  unbelief  is  the  greatest  hinderance  in 
our  way ;  in  fact,  there  is  no  other  real  diffi- 
culty as  to  our  spiritual  progress  and  prosper- 
ity. The  Lord  can  do  everything  ;  but  when 
He  makes  a  rule  that  according  to  our  faith  so 
shall  it  be  unto  us,  our  unbelief  ties  the  hands 
of  His  omnipotence. 


SPURGEON. 

Being  before  us  and  with  us,  He  will  never 
withdraw  His  help.     He  cannot  fail  in  Him- 
self, and  He  will  not  fail  toward  us.     He  will 
continue  to  help  us  according  to  our  need 
even  to  the  end. 

>[:  *  * 

The  highest  service  is  imitation.  If  I  would 
be  Christ's  servant  I  must  be  His  follower. 
To  do  as  Jesus  did  is  the  surest  way  of  bring- 
ing honor  to  His  name. 

*     *     * 

The  Devil  never  tempted  a  man  whom  he 
found  judiciously  employed. 


The  city  is  full  of  care,  and  he  who  has  to 
go  there  from  day  to  day  finds  it  to  be  a 
place  of  great  wear  and  tear.  It  is  full  of 
noise,  and  stir,  and  bustle,  and  sore  travail ; 
many  are  its  temptations,  losses,  and  worries. 
But  to  go  there  with  the  divine  blessing  takes 
off  the  edge  of  its  difficulty ;  to  remain 
there  with  that  blessing  is  to  find  pleasure  in 
its  duties,  and  strength  equal  to  its  demands. 


.,^5^ 


a;i3»rtflttftifiiife*i^«^?wfe 


SPURGEON. 

When  the  sun  brings  spring  and  summer 
the  cattle  quit  their  stalls,  and  seek  pasture 
on  the  higher  Alps.  Even  thus  when  we 
have  conscious  fellowship  with  our  Lord,  we 
leave  the  stall  of  despondency,  and  walk 
abroad  in  the  fields  of  holv  confidence. 


It  is  a  sad  thing  for  the  blind  man  who  has 
to  read  the  raised  type  when  the  tips  of  his 
fingers  harden,  for  then  he  cannot  read  the 
thoughts  of  men  which  stand  out  upon  the 
page ;  but  it  is  far  worse  to  lose  sensibility  of 
soul,  for  then  you  cannot  peruse  the  book  of 
human  nature,  but  must  remain  untaught  in 
the  sacred  literature  of  the  heart.  You  have 
heard  of  the  '•  Iron  Duke."  but  an  iron  Chris- 
tian would  be  a  very  terrible  person  :  a  heart 
of  flesh  is  the  gift  of  divine  grace,  and  one 
of  its  sure  results  is  the  power  to  be  very 
pitiful,  tender,  and  full  of  compassion 
*     *     * 

The  luliole  family  in  heaven  and  earth,  not 
the  two  families,  nor  the  divided   familv,  but 


SPUKGEON. 

the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth.  It 
appears,  at  first  sight,  as  if  we  were  very 
effectually  divided  by  the  hand  of  death. 
Can  it  be  that  we  are  one  family  when  some 
of  us  labor  on,  and  others  sleep  beneath  the 
greensward?  There  was  a  great  truth  in 
the  sentence  which  Wordsworth  put  into  the 
mouth  of  the  little  child,  wdien  she  said,  "  O 
master,  we  are  seven. '^ 

"But  they  are  dead  :  those  two  are  dead ! 

Their  spirits  are  in  heaven  !  " 
'Twas  throwing  words  away  ;  for  still 
The  little  maid  would  have  her  will, 

And  said  "  Nay,  we  are  seven." 

Should  we  not  thus  speak  of  the  divine 
family?  for  death  assuredly  has  no  separating 
power  in  the  household  of  God. 

*  *     * 

When  a  man  gives  a  flower,  it  is  a  perfect 
gift ;  but  the  gift  of  grace  is  rather  the  gift  of 

a  flower  seed. 

*  *     * 

Every  day  brings  its  own  perplexity.     How 
sweet  to  feel  that  the  guidance  of  the  Lord  is 
i8 


SPURGEON. 

continual !  If  we  choose  our  own  way,  or 
consult  with  flesh  and  blood,  we  cast  off  the 
Lord's  guidance  ;  but  if  we  abstain  from  self- 
will,  then  He  will  direct  every  step  of  our 
road,  every  hour  of  the  day,  and  every  day  of 
the  year,  and  every  year  of  our  life.  If  we 
will  but  be  guided,  we  shall  be  guided.  If 
we  will  commit  our  way  unto  the  Lord,  He 
will  direct  our  course  so  that  we  shall  not 
lose  ourselves.  But  note  to  whom  this  prom- 
ise—  ''The  Lord  shall  guide  thee  continu- 
ally"'—  is  made.  Read  the  previous  verse  : 
"  If  thou  draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry."' 
We  must  feel  for  others,  and  give  them,  not  a 
few  dry  crusts,  but  such  things  as  we  our- 
selves would  wish  to  receive.  If  we  show  a 
tender  care  for  our  fellow-creatures  in  the 
hour  of  their  need,  then  will  the  Lord  attend 
to  our  necessities,  and  make  Himself  our  con- 
tinual Guide.  Jesus  is  the  Leader,  not  of 
misers,  nor  of  those  who  oppress  the  poor, 
but  of  the  kind  and  tender-hearted.  Such 
persons  are  pilgrims,  who  shall  never  miss 
their  way 

19 


SPURGEON. 

Carve  your  name  on  hearts,  and  not  on 
marble. 

Nobody  ever  outgrows  Scripture  ;  the  book 
widens  and  deepens  with  our  years. 

If  you  tell  your  troubles  to  God,  you  put 
them  into  the  grave ;  they  will  never  rise 
again  when  you  have  committed  them  to 
Him.  If  you  roll  your  burden  anywhere  else, 
it  will  roll  back  again  like  the  stone  of  Sisy- 
phus. 

*     *     * 

Death  is  the  waiting-room  where  we  robe 
ourselves  for  immortality. 


Economy  is  half  the  battle  of  life  ;  it  is  not 
so  hard  to  earn  money  as  to  spend  it  well. 

Conflicts  bring  experience,  and  experience 
brings  that  growth  in  grace  which  is  not  to  be 
attained  by  any  other  means. 


SPURGEON. 

It  is  Jehovah  Himseh"  who  is  the  keeper  of 
His  own  vineyard  ;  He  does  not  trust  it  to 
any  other,  but  He  makes  it  His  own  personal 
care.  Are  they  not  well  kept  whom  God 
Himself  keeps?  We  are  to  receive  gracious 
watering,  not  only  every  day  and  hour,  "  but 
every  moment.""  How  we  ought  to  grow ! 
How  fresh  and  fruitful  every  plant  should  be  ! 
What  rich  clusters  the  vines  should  bear ! 

♦  *     * 

With  children  we  must  mix  gentleness  with 
firmness ;  they  must  not  always  have  their 
own  way,  but  they  must  not  always  be 
thwarted.  If  we  never  have  headaches 
through  rebuking  them,  we  shall  have  plenty 
of  heartaches  when  they  grow  up.  Be 
obeyed  at  all  costs.  If  you  yield  up  your 
authority   once,  you  will  hardly  ever  get  it 

again. 

*  *     * 

Poverty  is  hard,  but  debt  is  horrible  :  a  man 
might  as  well  have  a  smoky  house  and  a 
scolding  wife,  which  are  said  to  be  the  two 
worst  evils  of  our  life. 

21 


SPURGEON. 

When  sin  is  pardoned,  our  greatest  sorrow 
is  ended,  and  our  truest  pleasure  begins. 
Such  is  the  joy  which  the  Lord  bestows  upon 
His  reconciled  ones,  that  it  overflows  and  fills 
all  nature  with  delight.  The  material  world 
has  latent  music  in  it,  and  a  renewed  heart 
knows  how  to  bring  it  out  and  make  it  vocal. 
Creation  is  the  organ,  and  a  gracious  man 
finds  out  its  keys,  lays  his  hand  thereon,  and 
wakes  the  whole  system  of  the  universe  to  the 
harmony  of  praise.  Mountains  and  hills, 
and  other  great  objects,  are,  as  it  were,  the 
bass  of  the  chorus  ;  while  the  trees  of  the 
wood,  and  all  things  that  have  life,  take  up 
the  air  of  the  melodious  song. 


It  would  be  the  height  of  absurdity  for  the 
child  to  think  and  speak  of  its  father  as  if  he 
were  a  child  too,  and  could  do  no  more  than 
the  boy's  playmates.  Yet  this  is  the  com- 
mon error  of  the  children  of  God.  We  do 
not  raise  our  thoughts  to  a  god-like  level. 
We  think    our   own  thoughts    of  God,    and 


SPURGEON. 

straightway  we  doubt.  Oh,  that  we  rose  to 
God's  thoughts,  and  tried  to  conceive  how  He 
looks  upon  matters  !  Surely  He  taketh  up 
the  isles  as  a  very  little  thing,  and  the  moun- 
tains He  weighs  in  scales.  If  our  troubles 
were  set  in  the  light  of  God's  power,  and 
love,  and  faithfulness,  and  wisdom,  they  would 
become  to  us  small  burdens.  Why  should 
we  not  so  reirardthem. 


A  friend  to  everybody  is  often  a  friend  to 
nobody,  or  else  in  his  simplicity  he  robs  his 
family  to  help  strangers,  and  becomes  brother 
to  a  beggar.  There  is  wisdom  in  generosity 
as  in  everything  else. 

*     *     * 

"  He  that  watereth  shall  be  watered  also 
himself."     Prov.  xi.  25. 

I  may  care  about  myself  till  I  grow  morbid  ; 
I  may  watch  over  my  own  feelings  till  I  feel 
nothing ;  and  I  may  lament  my  own  weakness 
till  I  grow  almost  too  weak  to  lament.  It 
will  be  far  more  profitable  for  me  to  become 


SPUKGEON. 

unselhsh,  and  out  of  love  to  my  God  begin 
to  care  for  the  souls  of  those  around  me. 
My  tank  is  getting  very  low  ;  no  fresh  rain 
comes  to  fill  it:  what  shall  I  do?  I  will  pull 
up  the  plug,  and  let  its  contents  run  out  to 
water  the  withering  plants  around  me.  What 
do  I  see?  My  cistern  seems  to  fill  as  it  flows. 
A  secret  spring  is  at  work.  While  all  was 
stagnant,  the  fresh  spring  was  sealed  ;  but  as 
my  stock  flows  out  to  water  others  the  Lord 
thinketh  upon  me.     Hallelujah  ! 

1  bear  my  willing  witness  that  I  owe  more 
to  the  fire,  and  the  hammer,  and  the  file,  than 
to  anything  else  in  my  Lord's  workshop.  I 
sometimes  question  whether  I  have  ever 
learned  anything  except  through  the  rod. 
When  my  schoolroom  is  darkened,  I  see 
most. 


An   evangelist  said  in  my  hearing:   "He 
that  belie veth  hath  everlasting  life.     HATH 
—  that  spells  '  got  it.'  "     It  is  an  odd  way  of 
spelling,  but  it  is  sound  divinity. 
24 


SrUKGEOX. 

The  great  bell  of  Moscow  is  too  large  to  be 
hung :  the  question  arises,  what  was  the  use 
of  making  it?  Some  preachers  are  so  learned 
that  they  cannot  make  themselves  understood, 
or  else  cannot  bring  their  minds  to  preach 
plain,  gospel  sermons  ;  here,  too,  the  same 
question  might  be  asked. 

*  *     * 

He  that  has  something  to  do  has  less  temp- 
tation to  doubt  than  the  man  who  has  nothing 
else  to  do  but  to  doubt.  Heresies  in  the 
Christian  church  come  never  from  the  faithful 
pastor,  but  always  from  the  gentlemen  at 
ease,  who    take  no  actual   part    in   our  holy 

war. 

*  *     * 

Giving  is  true  having. 

*  *     * 

Let  your  religion  be  seen.  Lamps  do  not 
talk,  but  they  do  shine.  A  light-house  sounds 
no  drum,  it  beats  no  gong,  yet  far  over  the 
waters  its  friendly  light  is  seen  by  the  mari- 
ner. 


SPURGEOX. 

God  gets  His  best  soldiers  out  of  the  high- 
lands of  affliction. 

I  believe  that  when  Paul  plants  and  Apollo 
waters,  God  gives  the  increase  ;  and  I  have 
no  patience  with  those  who  throw  the  blame 
on  God  when  it  belongs  to  themselves. 

A    Christian  is  the  gentlest   of  men ;   but 

then  he  is  a  7)ia)i. 

*     #     * 

He  who  boasts  of  being  perfect  is  perfect 
in  folly.  I  never  saw  a  perfect  man.  Every 
rose  has  its  thorns,  and  every  day  its  night. 
Even  the  sun  shows  spots,  and  the  skies  are 
darkened  with  clouds.  And  faults  of  some 
kind  nestle  in  every  bosom. 

He  who  is  surety  is  never  sure.  Take  ad- 
vice, and  never  be  security  for  more  than  you 
are  quite  willing  to  lose.  Remember  the 
words  of  the  wise  man,  "He  that  is  surety  for 
a  stranger  shall  smart  for  it ;  and  he  that 
hateth  suretyship  is  sure.  " 
26 


SPURGE  ON. 

Good  thoughts  are  blessed  guests,  and 
should  be  heartily  welcomed,  well  fed,  and 
much  sought  after.  Like  rose-leaves,  they 
give  out  a  sweet  smell  if  laid  up  in  the  jar  of 

memory. 

*  *     ♦ 

Hundreds  would  never  have  known  iiiatit 
if  they  had  not  first  known  waste. 

Sometimes  a  fog  will  settle  over  a  vessel's 
deck  and  yet  leave  the  topmast  clear.  Then 
a  sailor  goes  up  aloft  and  gets  a  lookout  which 
the  helmsman  on  deck  cannot  get.  So  prayer 
sends  the  soul  aloft,  lifts  it  above  the  clouds 
in  which  our  selfishness  and  egotism  befog 
us,  and  give  us  a  chance  to  see  which  way  to 

steer. 

*  ♦     ♦ 

When  the  Bible  is  fully  accepted  as  God's 
own  revelation  of  Himself,  the  mind  has  come 
to  a  quiet  anchorage,  and  this  is  no  small 
gain.  A  safe  resting-place  is  an  urgent  need 
of  the  soul.  Drifting  about  must  be  fatal  to 
a  growing  and  advancing  life. 

27 


SPURGEON. 

I  would  sooner  walk  in  the  dark,  and  hold 
hard  to  a  promise  of  my  God,  than  trust  in  the 
light  of  the  brightest  day  that  ever  dawned. 

Some  people  are  never  content  with  their 
lot,  let  what  will  happen.  Clouds  and  dark- 
ness are  over  their  heads,  alike  whether  it 
rain  or  shine.  To  them  every  incident  is 
an  accident,  and  every  accident  a  calamity. 

*  *     * 

John  Bunyan,  while  he  had  a  surpassing 
genius,  would  not  condescend  to  cull  his 
language  from  the  garden  of  flowers ;  but  he 
went  into  the  hayfield  and  the  meadov/,  and 
plucked  up  his  language  by  the  roots,  and 
spoke  out  in  the  words  that  the  people  used 

in  their  cottages. 

*  *     * 

He  who  climbs  above  the  cares  of  the  world 
and  turns  his  face  to  his  God,  has  found  the 

sunny  side  of  life. 

*  *     * 

Summer  is  earth  in  Court-dress. 
28 


SPURGEON. 

Affliction  has  often  proved  to  be  a  presence- 
chamber,  in  which  the  King  of  Heaven  gives 
audience  to  His  unworthy  subjects.  As  Isaac 
met  his  bride  in  the  fields  at  eventide,  so  do 
true  souls  frequently  find  their  joy  and  conso- 
lation in  the  loneliness  of  solitude,  and  at  the 
sunset  of  their  earthly  pleasures.  He  who 
would  see  the  stars  sparkling  with  tenfold  lus- 
tre must  dwell  in  the  cold  regions  of  snow ; 
and  he  who  would  know  the  full  beauties  of 
Jesus,  the  bright  and  morning  star,  must  see 
Him  amid  the  frosts  of  trouble  and  adversity. 
Affliction  is  often  the  hand  of  God,  which  He 
places  before  our  face  to  enable  us,  like  Moses, 
to  see  the  train  of  His  glory  as  He  passes  by. 
The  saint  has  had  many  a  pleasant  view  of 
God's  loving  kindness  from  the  top  of  the  hills 
of  mercy ;  but  tribulation  is  very  frequently 
the  Lord's  Pisgah,  from  which  He  gives  them 
a  view  of  the  land  in  all  its  length  and  breadth. 
*     *     * 

Man's  wine  becomes  dregs  at  the  last,  but 
God's  wine  is  sweeter  the  deeper  you  drink 
of  it. 

29 


SrURGEON. 

The  heart  is  made  better  by  sorrow  be- 
cause it  is  made  more  free  from  earth.  It  is 
made  better  by  sorrow  again  because  it  be- 
comes more  sensitive,  more  impressed  with 
the  lessons  of  God's  world. 


It  seems  to  me  the  highest  stage  of  man  to 
feel  that,  though  like  a  sere  leaf  you  are 
blown  in  the  blast,  you  are  quite  careless 
whither  you  are  going,  so  long  as  you  feel 
that  the  Masters  hand  is  guiding  you  accord- 
ing to  His  will.  Or  rather  to  feel  that  though 
like  the  diamond  you  must  be  cut,  that  you 
care  not  how  sharply  you  may  be  cut,  so  that 
you  may  be  made  fit  to  be  a  brilliant  in  His 
crown  ;  that  you  care  little  what  may  be  done 
to  you,  if  you  may  but  honor  Him. 

*     *     * 

O !  thou  little-souled  man,  who  hast  no 
love  for  any  unless  he  conform  to  thine  own 
sect,  thou  knowest  little  of  Christ,  for  if  thou 
livedst  near  to  Him,  thou  wouldst  have  a  large 
heart. 

30 


SPURGEON. 

It  is  said  that  the  oyster  hath  no  pearls 
unless  it  be  sick  ;  so  it  is  true  of  the  Christian 
that  he  will  have  no  pearl  unless  he  be  perse- 
cuted. There  will  be  little  good  done  by  any 
of  us,  unless  we  have  some  trials  and  troubles. 
The  rock  must  be  smitten  :  if  it  hath  a  double 
blow  do  not  be  afraid,  for  the  rock  was  smit- 
ten twice,  and  the  waters  gushed  out. 

The  naked  wish  God  can  interpret;  He 
needs  us  not  to  light  the  candle  of  our  desires 
with  language  ;  He  can  see  the  candle  ere  it 
is  lit. 

"  He  knows  the  words  we  mean  to  speak, 
When  from  our  lips  they  cannot  break  "' 

by  reason  of  the  anguish  of  spirit.  He  knows 
the  desire  when  words  stagger  under  the 
w'eight  of  it ;  He  knows  the  wish  when  lan- 
guage fails  to  express  it. 

*     *     * 

Religion  is  not  emotional,   or  intellectual 

merely ;    it  is  practical  also.     That  man  has 

no  religion,  however  beautifully  varnished,  if 

he  does  not  carry  it  out  in  daily  life. 

31 


SPURGEON. 

True  religion  makes  us  happy ;  it  lights  up 
the  eye  like  the  lamps  of  heaven ;  it  makes 
our  foot  bound  over  this  weary  earth,  and 
makes  our  soul  elastic.  They  who  have  most 
religion  will  have  least  of  misery,  for  religion 
will  turn  their  bitterest  draughts  of  grief  into 
cups  of  joy.  He  who  liveth  near  to  Christ, 
come  what  may,  must  be  blessed  ;  but  he  who 
wandereth  from  Him,  give  him  all  the  mercies 
of  this  life,  cannot  be  happy. 


Have  you  ever  heard  that  pretty  fable  told 
by  the  Persian  Saadi  moralist?  He  took  up 
in  his  hand  apiece  of  scented  clay  and  said  to 
it,  "  O  clay  !  whence  hast  thou  thy  perfume? '' 
And  the  clay  said,  "I  was  once  a  piece  of  com- 
mon clay  ;  but  they  laid  me  for  a  time  in  com- 
pany with  a  rose,  and  I  drank  in  its  fragrance, 
and  have  now  become  scented  clay."  ...  I 
will  know  the  company  thou  keepest  by  the 
fragrance  thou  hast.  If  thou  hast  lain  in  beds 
of  spices,  thou  wilt  smell  of  the  myrrh,  and 
the    spikenard,    and    the    aloes.     I    will    not 


SrrKGKO.Y. 

think   thou   hast  been   with  Christ,   unless  I 
can  perceive  that  thou  hast  learned  of  Him. 


If  thou  wouldst  commend  thyself  to  thy 
fellows,  go  and  do —  not  go  and  say ;  if  thou 
wouldst  win  honor  from  the  excellent,  talk 
not,  but<r767';  and  if,  before  God,  thou  wouldst 
show  that  thy  faith  is  sincere,  and  thy  love  to 
Him  real,  it  is  no  fawning  words,  uttered 
either  in  prayer  or  praise,  but  it  is  the  pious 
deed,  the  holy  act,  which  is  the  justification 
of  thy  faith,  and  the  proof  that  thou  art  God's 
child.  Doing,  not  saying  —  acting,  not  talk- 
ing—  these  are  the  things  which  commend  a 
man. 

'•  No  big  words  of  ready  talkers, 
No  fine  boastings,  will  sufifice." 

If  we  would  commend  our  religion  to  man- 
kind, we  cannot  do  it  by  mere  formalities,  but 
by  gracious  acts  of  integrity,  charity,  and  for- 
giveness, which  are  the  proper  discoveries  of 
grace  within. 

33 


SPURGEON. 

You  will  never  find  rest  except  in  God ; 
there  is  no  refuge  but  in  Him.  Oh!  what 
rest  and  composure  there  are  in  Him  !  It 
is  more  than  sleep,  more  than  calm,  more 
than  quiet ;  deeper  than  the  dead  still- 
ness of  the  noiseless  sea  in  its  utmost  depths, 
where  it  is  undisturbed  by  the  slightest  rip- 
ple. 

*     *     * 

We  are  told  that  in  tropical  lands  the  sun 
seems  to  leap  up  from  under  the  horizon,  and 
the  dead  of  night  is  suddenly  turned  into  the 
lustre  of  day ;  so  on  a  sudden  doth  God's 
grace  often  dawn  upon  the  darkness  of  sinful 
hearts.  You  have  seen,  mayhap,  at  times, 
after  showers  of  rain  have  fallen  upon  the 
earth,  how  land  which  seemed  all  dry  and 
barren  was  suddenly  covered  with  green 
grass,  with  here  and  there  a  lily  full  in  bloom  ; 
and  so  a  heart  which  has  been  like  a  desert, 
when  once  the  shower  of  Jesus'  grace  falls 
on  it,  blossoms  like  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
and  yieldeth  sweet  perfume. 
34 


SFL7^GI-:0iV. 

God's  birds  would  often  keep  down   in  the 
grass  in  their  nests ;  but  He  fills  their  nests 
full  of  thorns,  and  then  up  they  fly,  and  sing 
as  a  lark  as  they  mount  towards  heaven. 
*     *     * 

If  we  will  not  keep  near  to  our  Lord,  He 
is  sure  to  hide  His  face.  You  have  seen  a 
mother  walking  out  with  her  little  child,  when 
it  has  just  learned  to  walk  ;  and  as  she  goes 
through  the  street,  the  little  one  is  for  run- 
ning sometimes  to  the  right,  and  sometimes 
to  the  left,  and  so  the  mother  hides  herself  a 
moment ;  then  the  child  looketh  round  for 
the  mother,  and  begins  to  cry,  and  then  out 
comes  the  mother.  What  is  the  effect?  Why, 
it  will  not  run  away  from  mother  anv  more  ; 
it  is  sure  to  keep  hold  of  her  hand  afterwards. 
So,  when  we  get  wandering  from  God,  He 
hides  His  face,  and  then,  since  we  have  a  love 
for  Him,  we  begin  crying  after  Him;  and 
when  He  shows  His  face  once  more,  we 
cling  to  Him  the  more  lovingly  ever  after- 
wards. So  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  bless  our 
troubles  *:o  us. 

35 


SPURGEON. 

When  a  box  of  fragrant  spice  is  put  into  a 
room,  the  perfume  soon  fills  the  entire 
chamber,  then  creeps  silently  up  the  stairs 
into  the  upper  rooms,  and  ceases  not  its  work 
until  it  has  filled  the  whole  house.  So  when 
there  is  true  grace  in  a  house,  the  Holy  Spirit 
blesses  its  hallowed  power,  till  even  the 
lodgers  and  family  acquaintances  begin  to  feel 
the  influence  of  it. 


36 


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